This invention relates to the handling, transportation and display of cut flowers and, particularly, to an improved container therefor.
Cut flowers are highly perishable and, once cut, must be shipped to the point of sale as soon as possible. It is essential, in order to maintain the flowers in a fresh condition, to keep their cut stems in water and it also is essential to protect the flowers themselves from damage which may occur from handling. Typically, cut flowers simply are inserted into an open-top bucket which is partly filled with water and a plurality of such flower-filled buckets are shipped to an appropriate commercial outlet where they are displayed for sale. Usually, the flowers are shipped by truck.
The foregoing common practice is far from ideal and presents a number of difficulties. For example, it is not uncommon for much of the water in the flower buckets to spill during transportation. The flowers themselves have little, if any, protection. They cannot be stacked on top of each other which usually results in most of the useable space in the truck being unused. Also, the flowers are handled directly which increases the chances of their being damaged.
It is among the general objects of the invention to provide an improved container for cut flowers which overcomes the foregoing difficulties. In brief, the invention includes a box which may be made from a corrugated cardboard blank which is formed so that when the blank is folded to the box configuration, the bottom corners of the box will define an improved seal to retard leaking of water from the box in the event that water does spill out of the flower bucket. In one embodiment of the invention, the box has a false bottom platform with a hole therein to receive the flower bucket and hold the flower bucket firmly in place. The box is of a height sufficient to fully enclose and protect the flowers themselves. The inner surfaces of the box are coated with a water-impervious film. Handle holes are provided in the box as are knock-out panels to enable air circulation through the box to be controlled. The boxes containing the flowers may be stacked side by side and on top of each other to make the most efficiency of the available capacity of the truck or other shipping vehicle. The box also is arranged so that when it is at the point of sale, its top and portions of its side and front panels can be removed to present a convenient and aesthetically appealing display for the flowers.
In another embodiment of the invention, the flower bucket is molded from plastic and is self-supporting in the box by means of a surrounding skirt which extends downwardly from the mouth of the container to the level of the bottom of the bucket. The lower edge of the skirt is rectangular and is dimensioned to fit within the bottom of the box to stabilize the bucket in the box. The lower edge of the skirt has an upturned portion to define a water-receptive trough for water which may inadvertently spill out of the flower bucket.
It is among the general objects of the invention to provide an improved device for shipping and displaying cut flowers.
Another object of the invention is to provide a shipping and display container for cut flowers which minimizes leakage of water from the container.
A further object of the invention is to provide a shipping container for cut flowers which is stackable to facilitate shipping of large quantities of flowers and which protects the flowers from damage in handling.